Through The Portal
by Bedazzled Spirit
Summary: During a monster hunt gone wrong, the Mystery Shack crew find themselves with only two options; jump through a strange, eerie-looking portal leading to who-knows-where, or be eaten. The former seems the most appealing, but perhaps the monsters on the other side are just as bad as the ones they have already been faced with. Or worse. (Reverse Falls AU!)
1. Chapter 1: Bright Lights, New World

Chapter 1: Bright Lights, New World

 **A/N: Alright, so here it is! This is my first Gravity Falls fic, and it does include two OC's. Just to give a little bit of a backstory, the two OC's are sisters, one 17 and one 12, who have moved to Gravity Falls and befriended the twins and landed themselves jobs at the Mystery Shack. Bill is also a part of their group, having accidentally trapped himself inside a human body. He and Eve, the older sister, also have a bit of a chemistry between them, but a relationship with a demon would be a little more than complicated so i'll leave the little thing they have without a name to really classify it.**

 **I suppose this could be considered an AU what with the added characters and backstory, but everything else remains the same.**

 **Now, without further ado, on with the story!**

o00o

"Quick, it's still behind us!"

Dipper panted as his arms pumped furiously at his sides, willing his breath to stay in harmony with his strides. The bushes around him licked and scraped at his bare legs, causing tiny droplets of blood to trickle down the flesh.

But he was too preoccupied to pay any attention to that.

"Dipper, wait! We can't all run as fast as you!" Phoebe wheezed, slowly falling behind. The boy immediately noticed this and stopped to grab her wrist before resuming their mad dash, pulling the brunette along with him. Eve and Mabel followed suit, not far behind. Bill had tried to give them enough time to get a good running start by distracting the monster and teasing it with his blue flames.

The whole endeavor began as a normal mystery hunt, like they always did.

Dipper had become obsessed with a new page in the journal and was hell-bent on finding the creature that was drawn there and described in crude penmanship. The others wouldn't let him go alone, for fear of something happening and because they were all at least a little curious to get a look at the monster. They'd had a whole plan well thought-out ahead of time, complete with cautiousness and the perfect trap. But of course this all lifted away the minute the group of teens was faced with the creature.

Instead, they all screamed and bolted the other way.

The adrenaline coursing through his veins coupled with the passing branches that hung low in his path impaired Dipper's vision, causing him to completely miss the root protruding out from the ground.

"Dipper watch out!"

"Oof!"

He stumbled, and the journal went flying.

"No!" He reached out for it, but it was too late. Dipper stood up, dumfounded, staring at the strange circle of swirling orange light that the journal had just vanished through.

"What the-"

"Hey! Why'd you stop? It's gaining!" Phoebe panted, gripping the boy's shoulders for support. The others came to a quick stop as well, their questioning glances soon turning to marvel at the same light.

"What is that?" Eve asked, wide mocha eyes shining with wonder and slight fear.

"I don't know, but the journal just fell right through it!"

"It looks like a portal to me," Bill answered, looking back over his shoulder. He guessed they had about twenty seconds before the beast caught up with them and had them for supper.

Mabel cocked her head to the side. "A portal to where?"

"I don't know, and I don't care. I'm not sticking around here any longer! I don't wanna be gremloblin meat!" Phoebe said, nearing the portal with determined strides. Before anyone could get another word out she jumped through it, disappearing from sight.

"Phoebe!" Eve shrieked with panic, quick to follow after her sister.

Protective side kicking in, Bill chased after Eve and disappeared as well.

"Oh boy. This could be very very bad," Dipper worried, before Mabel grabbed his wrist and he found himself being dragged towards the portal.

"C'mon Dipper! We've gotta get out of here!"

The twins squinted their eyes and held their breath as they were pulled into a new world of unknown things.

o00o

"Ugh, my head…Man, what a ride." Eve rubbed at her throbbing skull and groaned lightly. A dull light filtered through her eyelids, and she cracked them open a bit to get a look at where they were. Strangely enough, she was met with the same trees and sky she was familiar with, if not a little less vibrant. But then, it could just be cloudy. There was nothing odd about this.

Oh, but there was.

Why would there be a portal in the middle of the woods that didn't lead anywhere? It didn't make sense, and was all-too suspicious.

Eve sat up slowly, relief settling some of her nerves once she saw everyone had made it through okay and were also sluggishly pulling themselves off the ground.

"Hey guys…where are we?" Phoebe asked.

"It looks like the same place." Mabel said, looking up at the trees and thick forest around them. "Minus the gremloblin."

Bill said nothing, completely silent as he stood up and took in their surroundings. His eyes scanned the area furiously and cautiously, something about the place giving him a twisting feeling in his gut.

Something wasn't right here.

"Wait…" Dipper's eyes widened as he suddenly began to whip his head about, panic rising inside him. He scrambled up, clutching his hair in his hands. "Where's the journal?"

"You mean this journal?"

"Dip, quit talking to yourself. It's…weird…" Mabel trailed off as she turned around and caught eyes with a familiar face.

Except he wasn't familiar at all.

Instead of warm, shining brown orbs, she was met with ice cold ones that were hard and held a certain hatred in them. This boy's brown hair was neatly slicked back, revealing the constellation imprinted there on the skin of his forehead. He was dressed almost formally it seemed, with his blue button-down tucked into black dress pants, paired with a long cape that gracefully draped over his shoulders. The most curious thing however was the bright blue pendant settled in the middle of his neck, holding the cape closed around him. It seemed oddly familiar...

"Oh, it's weird alright." The boy said, voice just as similar as his looks were to a certain male twin. And he was holding the journal in his hands.

The others gaped incredulously at the abomination before them, eyes flashing from the brunette in the vest and shorts to the less casually dressed one.

"Dipper…why are there two of you?" Eve whispered, panic clear in her tone.

"I-I don't know," he responded, matching the other Dipper's eyes in a wary and unsure staring contest.

"Enough games." He snarled suddenly, eyes flashing dangerously. "What are you? Shape shifters? Trying to take the form of someone in power to gain a little, are you?"

"What? No!" Phoebe waved her hands defensively. He turned his steely gaze on her the instant she let the words escape, and she found herself feeling strangely squirmish under it. It wasn't like Dipper's normal loving look. No, the way he stared at her now was different…darker. "We…we're not shape-shifters. We were running through the forest and fell into a portal. Now...here's a question for you. Why do you look like Dipper?"

The boy narrowed his eyes and placed his hands on his hips, standing tall in attempted intimidation. "I am Dipper."

"No, I'm Dipper! Now give me back my journal!" He reached for it, but his counterpart easily held it back away from his grasp.

"Journal…you mean this tattered old thing? It looks about ready to fall apart." He said with a snort and flipped it open carelessly, eyes roaming a random page. They suddenly grew darker as he scanned over more pages, flipping through them furiously until he finally slammed the book shut. Without looking up, the other Dipper spoke in a voice so low that he nearly growled. "Where did you get this?"

"It belongs to him," Eve barked, refusing to be intimidated by a twelve year-old duplicate of the boy.

"Does it now?" A smirk pulled at the corner of his lips as he pulled the journal flush against him. "I beg to differ."

"Hand it over short stack, and no one gets hurt," Bill ordered, tone equally as harsh as the boy's and leaving no room for argument. Sometimes it helped to have a demon on your side.

The counterpart seemed caught off-guard by this, expression completely surprised until it shifted into that of rage. "How dare you speak to me that way!" He barked, fists clenching at his sides.

"How dare I?" Bill parroted, a few amused chuckles escaping him at the child's words. "You're a riot kid! Seriously!"

"Keep in mind who you're talking to, _demon_." The boy said through grit teeth, venom dripping from his words. "You don't want to have to face the wrath of Dipper Gleeful!"

"Wait, what?" Phoebe spluttered, eyebrows coming together in confusion. "Gleeful?"

Bill's irritated demeanor slowly began to vanish, leaving behind a clear expression of realization, bright yellow eyes filled with understanding. "I know where we are."

"Really? Where?" Eve asked while still keeping a cautious eye on the other Dipper.

"We've stepped into a parallel universe, one of the many ones there are. It's commonly referred to as The Land of Backwards Reality."

"Backwards reality? What does that mean?" Dipper wondered, while his counterpart only watched the exchange with scheming eyes. He was just as curious as the rest to find out what was going on.

"Basically, everything that's normal in our world is the opposite here. Black is white, white is black, good is evil, and evil is good." Bill explained, using his hands to demonstrate a sort of scale gesture.

The other Dipper hummed lightly, skimming his fingers over the cover of the journal. "Interesting…very interesting. I suppose that must make you the weak ones." A small smirk tugged at the corner of his lips.

"Weak ones?" Eve scoffed, a deep frown etched onto her face as she pointed a finger at his chest. "Watch it buddy!"

"Is that all you've got?" He asked, genuinely expecting a better retaliation. The others stayed quiet, glaring at the boy. He chuckled lightly and momentarily inspected his nails. "My my, this is embarrassing. Oh, Mabel and the others will certainly want to hear about this."

"Hey hey hey, you're not going anywhere, bucko! Not until we figure th-"

"Not to worry." The counterpart said, abruptly cutting off Mabel's sentence, leaving the girl to huff and crossed her arms. "I have a feeling we'll be seeing each other again very soon. Until then!"

Before anyone could utter a single word of protest counterpart-Dipper raised his arm and smashed something down on the ground, his entire figure was quickly enveloped by some kind of thick black smoke. The group of teens coughed and wheezed as the substance entered their nostrils, the scent sickening. After a few moments of holding their noses and waving it away, the smoke eventually cleared to reveal…nothing.

Dipper gasped.

His counterpart was gone.

o00o

Town looked different.

The sidewalks were cracked and chipped, and the buildings on either side of the street looked old and worn-down. The townspeople didn't walk along happy and oblivious like they normally did. In fact, there weren't many people on the street at all. The occasional person that did walk by held a strange and uneasy aura about them, keeping to themselves and glancing around every few seconds as if they had just committed an offense and were afraid of being caught.

The group looked like a vibrant abomination in the dull world they'd found themselves in, and a couple times they'd caught suspicious or even fearful glances towards them. Though no one could see their faces due to the hoodies Bill insisted were necessary. He'd said that since they didn't know what kind of reputations their counterparts held it would be better to stay hidden and not have anyone recognize them.

"This place is weird," Eve said, wrapping her arms around her torso and hugging herself tightly. "I don't like it."

"It's not that bad," Mabel scoffed. "Besides Dipper's obnoxiously snobby counterpart."

"Hey, you could have the same attitude for all we know," her brother argued, eyes suddenly catching a familiar figure across the street. "Whoa, is that…Tyler?"

The man was walking out of an abandoned-looking shop. Then again, they all looked like that. His shoulders were sunken and so was his face, but the thing that stood out most to the group was his attire. Namely the large panther that stretched out across his front.

"Wait a minute, he actually chose a shirt?" Phoebe gaped, before her expression twisted into one of worry and fear and she found herself having to look away. "You're right Eves, this place is weird."

"Look, we've established we want to spend as little time here as possible, alright? But we have to get the journal back first."

"Pine Tree's right, as much as it hurts to agree with him. If this universe's versions of you start using our journal here, it'll tip the balance and both universes will crash. Now we don't exactly want that to happen, so we'll just need to get the journal from them and then jump back through the portal."

"Right. Piece of cake then." Phoebe barked lightly, rolling her eyes.

"It's the only plan we've got, Pheebs," Eve said, placing her hand on her sister's shoulder.

The girl sighed. "I know, I'm sorry. I guess I'm just a little on edge. I mean, did you see the way he looked at me? Creepsville, I tell ya."

"It's okay. We'll be out of here soon. We just have to figure out where other-me took the journal." Dipper said, eyes roaming the dead street. "Look, Greasy's! Maybe Lazy Suzan can help us."

"Oo!" Mabel chirped, face brightening. "And maybe we can get some pancakes while we're at it!"

She was met with a few questioning looks, but the girl only threw her hands in the air innocently. "What? We can't very well steal the journal back on empty stomachs, can we?"

Bill gave an exasperated sigh.

Eve only shrugged. "Worth a shot."


	2. Chapter 2: Ruthless

Chapter 2: Ruthless

 **A/N: I'm back with the second chapter! Hope you guys all enjoyed the first one, and I love feedback so please feel free to leave a review :) I'll also answer any questions you might have.**

 **Now to the story. Onwards, Aoshima!**

o00o

Once the group reached the diner and pulled open it's rusted doors, they were relieved to find that the familiar smell of fry oil and grease still lingered around the place. At least one thing remained the same. The place wasn't buzzing with hungry customers the way it usually was however, leaving only the sound of forks scraping against plates and a few people talking under their breaths audible to the teens' ears.

Bill pointed towards an empty booth and they all slid in, squishing together in the small space. After a few moments of pretending to look at their menus and trying not to seem suspicious, the waitress they were hoping for arrived at their table, fresh pot of coffee in hand.

Except she was different too. For one thing, her eye wasn't lazy anymore. It was fully open and perfectly topped with eyeshadow and mascara to match the other one. Her makeup wasn't overdone like it usually was, but instead was simple and uncharacteristically elegant. Her diner uniform wasn't splattered and torn, but was crisp and clean and looked as if it had never even been worn before.

"What can I get you lot today?" She asked politely, pouring coffee into their mugs. Phoebe and the twins silently shook their heads, making sure they kept their faces well-hidden behind their menus. Lazy Susan skipped over their mugs with the pot and poured the substance for Bill and Eve. The latter made sure to keep her face hidden as well. They'd agreed that Bill would do all the talking and asking of the questions since he would most likely be the least recognizable.

"Just the coffee will be fine," Bill said, bringing the mug to his lips. "Actually, I was wondering if I could ask you a question."

Lazy Susan smiled apologetically. "Sorry hun, we're not hiring at the moment. But if you drop your resumé off at-"

"No no, that's not it." Bill raised a hand to cut the woman off, Eve silently scorning him for the rudeness. She was being so polite, after all! Bill continued carefully as the woman stared at him curiously. "I wanted to ask you what you know about…Dipper and Mabel Pi- Gleeful."

Lazy Susan's eyes widened, and she seemed to grip the handle of the coffee pot tighter. Her knuckles started to turn white. "I don't know anything, now drink your coffee and get out."

Bill was taken aback by her sudden hostility, but continued nonetheless. "Please, they've taken something of ours. We just want to know where they live so that we can go and get it back."

The woman stopped in her procession to head back into the kitchen, releasing a shaky breath. She slowly turned around to face the table, coming closer so that no one would be able to hear her voice.

"You think you're the only ones to have something taken by them?" She glanced up at the rest of the group, suddenly aware that they were hiding their faces. She said nothing of it however, for it wasn't an uncommon thing for people in this town to want to cover up their identities in public places. Her eyes settled back on Bill. "Those two are bad news. Everyone knows that."

"We're new in town," Bill explained. It wasn't exactly a _lie_.

"Well then you'd better head right back out as fast as you can. The twins may be evil, but you'd better hope to god you never run into the Holly sisters. They're _ruthless_. Watch out for them, especially the older one." With this she leaned closer, eyes darting about the room to make sure no one else was listening. Her voice dropped a few volume levels until it was barely a whisper. "Rumor has it she's got magic more powerful than any that exists in our world. Not to mention her black heart that knows no mercy."

Bill thought he heard a mumble of a few curse words come from Eve.

"Well…thanks for the warning. But we have to go get back what they stole from us. It's important."

Lazy Susan seemed to contemplate this for a moment, eyes inspecting the group sharply. They were crazy if they were planning on going there. It was dangerous enough to encounter one of them on your own turf, but to actually go to them, to find yourself in the Gleeful-Holly household… It was a suicide mission. But, if they were dead-set on going and risking their lives, who was she to stop them?

Making up her mind, she sighed. "They live on the hilltop on the north side of town. Gigantic mansion, you can't miss it."

Bill snapped his fingers, victorious smile stretching across his face. "Perfect. Thank you." He slid out of the booth, followed by the others who were just as quick.

Lazy Susan watched them leave the diner, worried frown etched into her features. She wouldn't be seeing them again.

As soon as the group was outside, Eve frantically began pulling at her hair and pacing in panic while the others watched her curiously.

"Eve…" Phoebe started, slowly approaching her sister. "Are you okay?"

"Did you hear what she said about us?" Eve said, worry clear in her tone. "About me?"

"Not you, your counterpart." Dipper reminded.

"It makes sense if you think about it." Bill added. "The ones with the purest hearts in our universe would have the blackest ones here."

Eve thought about this for a moment, before her eyebrows came together in confusion. "Wait a minute. Bill…what does that make you then? Are you even still a demon here?"

"Of course!" Bill scoffed as if she'd asked a stupid question. "I will always have power, no matter what parallel version of me it is."

o00o

If there was one thing Eve hated, it was uncooperative demons.

With her hands on her hips she closed her eyes and inhaled deeply, attempting to quell the growing rage inside her.

"So. What you're trying to tell me is…you failed."

When she opened her eyes, she noticed the demon sitting before her had gotten substantially paler. He visibly gulped, hands fiddling in his lap while he avoided eye contact, looking anywhere but at her face.

"I-I…well…u-uh…not…um…I-I just-"

"Oh for god's sakes, spit it out!" Eve barked sharply, causing the demon to flinch.

"I couldn't do it!" He wailed, finally looking up at her with watery eyes. The sight only made her irritation grow, lips curling upwards in a snarl that made him shrink back in fear.

"I gave you one order." She started, voice shaking with anger. "One very simple order. Kill the twerp and bring journal number two to me. Now, was that so much to ask for?"

"N-no, Madam Holly. B-but I just don't thi-"

The demon let out a small squeak as he was hauled to his feet by the collar of his shirt and pulled face-to-face with the steaming girl. He regretted the few words of protest as soon as they'd left his lips, for they'd seemed to only enrage her further.

"I don't care if it's against every moral you have. You're under my control, do you understand me?" Her tone was as hard and sharp as a knife edge, leaving no room for any more protest on his part. Her dark eyes bore into his, flashing dangerously.

"Yes." He managed to whimper, wiggling a bit in her death-grip.

She hummed in approval. "This was your first and only warning. Now, be a good little demon and do as you're told."

"Yes, Madam Holly."

With the acknowledgement of his submission, Eve released her hold on him which caused him to stumble back a few steps. He glanced at her for a moment, before azure flames began to consume his body.

"Oh, and William…" She said, putting pause to his magical departure. She narrowed her eyes, warning clear in her tone. "Don't fail me again."

Heart beating frantically, he gave a slight nod before disappearing completely.

Eve groaned and raked a hand through her thick hair.

Of all the people she'd ever worked with, William had to be the most difficult. He had far too much kindness within him, despite him being a demon, and didn't follow orders. After all they'd done for him, he still couldn't perform such a simple task as eliminating some dumb kid? It's not as if his life held any importance to anyone! He was in the way of Eve getting her hands on that second journal, and that was a big problem.

She, along with her sister and the twins had offered the demon protection from the others who viewed him as a disgrace and wanted him eliminated. They'd practically saved his life, all for one simple request: that he follow any orders given to him by them. It wasn't an unfair bargain, and it irritated Eve to no end that he would still refuse certain tasks. Timidly, for certain, and with a look of pure fear that made Eve want to laugh, but refuse them nonetheless.

His obedience skills really needed to be worked on.

"Demon trouble?"

With a small roll of her eyes, Eve turned around to face the owner of the sudden voice…her sister. "I've got it under control."

Phoebe snorted, placing a hand on her hip. "Looks to me like you're having some difficulty keeping our dear William in line."

"I said, I've got it under control." Eve barked lightly.

"Alright, alright." Phoebe raised her hands defensively, a small smile of amusement playing on her lips. "Don't get hostile. I was only making an observation."

"Well perhaps you should keep your observations to yourself, _sister_."

Phoebe hummed lightly, unaffected by the other's snappy response. She was used to her sister's temper by now. Tossing a bit of hair over her shoulder, the brunette changed the subject as if nothing had happened. "Have you seen Dipper today?"

Eve frowned and crossed her arms. "No, I haven't. Why?"

"I'm convinced he's avoiding me."

Eve released a small laugh as her anger from earlier slowly dissipated. "Oh dear. Are you two fighting again? If you are let me know ahead of time so that I can remove all of the expensive and breakable objects from the premises."

Phoebe huffed softly, glancing down at her perfectly manicured hands. "We're always fighting."

"What did you do this time?"

"I don't know." The girl sighed, harsh and distressful. "Apparently I have too much attitude or something. I kind of tuned out after the first few sentences of his rant."

"Hm. Classy."

The door swung open suddenly, and the boy in question came striding through.

"Well, well. Look what the cat dragged in." Eve said, lips pulled into a half-smirk. This of course earned her a good punch in the shoulder from her sister. For a person who got away with many things, she wasn't very discreet.

Dipper fixed Eve with a curious stare, before his eyes landed on the other brunette. It didn't take him long to put the pieces together. She'd told her sister what happened. Great, just great. He really didn't need another Holly on his case at the moment, not after what he'd just encountered in the woods.

"I didn't come back to pick a fight, alright?" He said, brow slightly furrowed. "Something happened that I believe you'll both find to be quite interesting."

"Like the gnomes you thought we would find interesting?" Eve asked and cocked her head to the side, shooting the boy a wide grin.

"No, this isn't like that." Dipper replied with the beginnings of a frown tugging at his lips, unimpressed by their mockery.

"I have to admit though, it was fun torturing them." Phoebe added, nostalgic smile growing at the memory. She could still hear the horrified screams replaying in her mind. Simply delightful.

"This is much bigger than gnomes," Dipper said, cutting through the girl's thoughts.

She stared at him expectantly, eyebrows raised as she waited for him to continue with his big reveal. "Well then? What is it?"

"Do share, Dipper." Eve matched Phoebe's stare, crossing her arms as she did so.

Dipper copied her action, standing as tall as he could with his back ramrod straight. "Alright. I will. It's the only reason I came here anyways." Phoebe rolled her eyes at this, but he continued on. "I just ran into some familiar people in the woods. You know who they were? Us."

"Alright, A: that's impossible, and B: what the hell were you doing in the woods, you freak?"

Dipper fixed Eve with a slightly hostile glare, mouth pressing into a thin line. He decided to ignore her second question, knowing he didn't have to answer to her. He had power too, a fact the young woman often forgot. "I can assure you it's entirely possible because I saw it with my own two eyes. Apparently, they've come from some sort of parallel universe where everything is the opposite of what it is here."

"What do you mean by opposite?" Phoebe inquired, setting her emotions to the side for the time being. She knew that there were much bigger problems to be dealt with than her and Dipper's petty relationship issues.

"Well, for one, each of our counterparts were wearing colors far too bright to be legal."

"Ew," the sisters said in unison, faces twisting in disgust.

"My thoughts exactly." Dipper agreed. "Another thing, William was with them. Except he seemed different…bolder. And if I may point out, held a certain possessive stance over you, Eve."

"What?" The brunette barked, eyes darting all around Dipper as if she was searching for some kind of a hint that he was lying. "I need to see this for myself. We have to go find them."

"No need." Dipper said, stopping Eve in her tracks as she began her determined strut to the door. She shot him a wondering and slightly irritated look as he pulled something out from under his cape. It was a book, grime and splatters of an unknown substance covered the front of it, but not in a thick enough layer to cover the six-fingered hand displayed on the front with a large '3' drawn in the centre. It looked like theirs, but it wasn't. Theirs wasn't caked in filth. Dipper waved the book around with a cocky grin etched across his face. "I have a feeling they're going to come straight to us."


	3. Chapter 3: Mystery Manor

Chapter 3: Mystery Manor

 **A/N: First of all I'd like to give a quick thank you to those people who reviewed and favourited this story. This support is what keeps me going, guys! Now this chapter is a bit of a short one but it's mostly just a lead-in to a more interesting scene… Hope you enjoy!**

o00o

The hedges in front of Mystery Manor were tall and intimidating, creating a perfect atmosphere for the mansion itself and the people who lived inside it.

They were also a great place for hiding.

The group was ducked low behind them, trying not to step on each other's feet or push or shove.

"So, what's the plan here guys?" Dipper asked, mouth pressed into a hard line. It was obvious he was all for being completely focused and getting the journal back as quick as they could so that they could return to their own universe.

Mabel, on the other hand, took the opportunity to irritate her brother further by poking him in the cheek with a mock-serious frown. "Sneak in, grab the journal, and run out screaming?"

"Hm. Y'know, as much as I'm sure that wouldn't get us all killed, I'm thinking we might need to come with something a little more…elaborate." Bill said, pursing his lips. "Unfortunately my powers don't work here, so I'm just about as useless as the rest of you humans."

"Gee, thanks Bill." Eve barked, shaking her head at the demon.

"Seriously though, how long have we been sitting here?" Phoebe asked, adjusting the awkward crouching position she was in and rustling a few branches in the process. Eve shot her a hard look, which in turn put an end to the rustling. "No one has come in or out in forever. Maybe they're not home."

Dipper shrugged, turning his gaze toward the manor ahead, barely visible through the bunches of leaves. "Only one way to find out."

Eve sighed. So it was settled they were going in, even if the only plan they had was put together by Mabel.

Great.

Clutching her shirt in her hands, she inhaled a calming breath. They were only going to get one shot at this. She didn't exactly know the repercussions of the journal falling into their counterparts' hands, but from what Bill briefly explained earlier it was not a good thing. They had it get it back as soon as possible.

Eve found the edge of the hedge, cautiously peeking around the corner.

No one in sight.

She silently waved her friends over, the others coming to group behind her as Bill joined her side. He snuck around the corner first, carefully making his way across the lawn. The others followed closely, and Eve, with nerves already jittering, jumped at every small noise she heard. This included the light snap that came from behind her, to wit she fixed Dipper with an irritated stare. The boy grinned sheepishly and gently lifted his foot off the now-broken twig.

After what seemed like a million suspenseful minutes, they reached the manor. Bill led them over to the side, where they edged along the wall until they were graciously met with a open window. It wasn't too far up, but just enough that they knew no one person would be able to reach it alone.

"Alright, it's twin time." Mabel said, lowering her voice a few levels and rolling up her sleeves in determination. "Dipper, climb on my shoulders." Dipper cocked a skeptical eyebrow, dragging out a sigh from his sister. "Come on, we haven't got all day to lollygag by the window!"

The rest of the group watched with a few winces and grimaces as the boy reluctantly climbed atop Mabel's shoulders, her legs wobbling slightly as the weight set in.

"Geez Dip, what did you eat? You weigh like, a million pounds."

Phoebe snickered lightly, though it was still audible to him and brought a small embarrassed blush to his cheeks.

He'd make sure to get Mabel for that one later, but for now, he focused his energy on the task at hand. Climbing through that window.

It was dark in whatever room it led to, however as Dipper swung his leg over the ledge, he was able to get a better look inside. There was dark-colored furniture placed about the room, consisting of a black leather sofa and a couple of armchairs. It didn't look entirely comfortable or homely as much as it appeared to be a sophisticated display of some sort, like the kind you would find in a home renovation magazine.

"Hey, mister daydreams-a-lot! Lend a girl a hand down here, will ya?" Mabel called from down below, catching the male twin's attention. He briefly looked around the room for something to lower down to her, but upon finding nothing useful, decided that his arms would have to do.

After reaching down and pulling up every last member of the group, help given by those still on the ground with a push of their feet and those already inside by lending an extra pair of arms to pull each other up, they dusted themselves off and looked around.

Mabel's nose crinkled in distaste. "What a place."

"Talk about gloomy." Phoebe agreed, coming to stand beside her friend. Sensing her slightly nervous demeanor, Mabel linked her arm through the other brunette's and shot her a classic, goofy smile sure to calm anyone's nerves. Though it was partly strained, for even the normally cheerful girl found herself faced with her own uneasy doubts.

Dipper appeared at Phoebe's other side, attempted smile of reassurance contagious enough to spread to both girls. Sensing the boy was feeling a little left out, Phoebe took it upon herself to link her free arm in his, the three of them leaning into each other for support and comfort. They led the way through the manor, the older teen and demon following close behind.

Seeing her sister was in good hands, Eve made sure to stay close to Bill. Powers or no powers, just the feeling of his warmth beside her and his strong presence alone was enough to make her feel safe and reassured.

As they quietly made their way through the house, Eve couldn't help but wonder what kind of people their counterparts were. Obviously they weren't exactly favored by the people of the town, but surely Lazy Susan must have been exaggerating at least a little bit when she used the word ruthless to describe them.

Right?

Surely they couldn't be that bad.

Though as her eyes moved around the rooms and hallways, taking in the dark and dreary interior design, her hopes dimmed dramatically. Who would own a place like this and actually enjoy living in it? She was already itching to get out and leave forever as it was.

There was a strange atmosphere about the manor as well. Looking ahead at the others, she was a little relived to know she wasn't the only one who was beginning to feel it. Eve didn't know how to describe it exactly, but if she had to, she would say it almost felt as if there was a sort of dull electricity buzzing about the place that left her feeling nauseous and even more wary then before.

It felt dark.

It felt _evil_.

"It's the leftover black magic residue." Bill suddenly chimed in a low voice beside her, giving answer to her thoughts as if he'd been reading them. She tipped her head to glance up at him curiously while he fixed her with a grim look. "Makes you feel kind of sick inside, doesn't it?"

Eve gave a small nod, subconsciously wrapping her arms around her torso and hugging herself tightly. Bill wrapped an arm around her waist and firmly held her to him as they walked, feet falling into step with one another.

In his true demonic form, he would be immune to the effects of the residue. But unfortunately for him, in his human body, he was completely susceptible and knew just how everyone else was feeling. It was actually surprising, the amount of residue there was. Someone would have to be awfully powerful to be performing _this_ much black magic, and that was the thing that unsettled him the most. It was as he said, without his powers, he was useless to protect the kids…and Eve.

Heart wrenching at the thought, he plowed forward, hell-bent on finding that journal before they were found instead.

"Hey guys, maybe…do you think…we should split up to look for the journal?" Phoebe whispered, causing the group to come to a stop in the middle of what appeared to be a dimly-lit foyer. They may as well have been rats in a maze with how many twists and turns there were in the place.

"No way. We stick together." Eve said, not wanting to let her sister out of her sight. "It'll be safer that way."

"But won't we find the journal faster if there are more of us looking in different places at once?" Phoebe argued, a sudden tenseness settling into her tone. The sensation of the residue was obviously plucking at her nerves.

"Eve's right. We need to stay together in case something happens." Bill said, voice stern and leaving little to no room for argument.

Phoebe largely rolled her eyes. "Whatever. But don't blame me when this takes forever and we get caught."

Dipper frowned lightly, placing an unsteady hand on the girl's shoulder. "Hey, come on. Ease up, Pheebs."

Her shoulders immediately relaxed at the other's touch, and she briefly shook her head as the ever-growing irritation slowly dissipated. "I…I'm sorry. I don't know what got into me."

"It's the dark magic residue." Eve explained, briefly shooting Bill a glance to wit he nodded in response. She returned her gaze to her sister. "I guess it affects everyone differently. But we can't let it get to us, okay? Let's just try to focus on our goal here. The sooner we get the journal, the sooner we can leave."

"Oh, but why would you want to leave?" A familiar voice chimed from the other side of the room, startling the group. They all spun around and watched, frozen in shock, as the room brightened dramatically to reveal a figure dressed in black and deep purple, sitting in a large armchair with her long legs gracefully draped over the side. She stared at them with her lips curled in a grin so evil it could challenge even the worst of monsters in the journal. Eve paled at the sight of this being, brain not wanting to register what her eyes were seeing. Her counterpart tersely drummed her perfectly manicured fingers against the arm of the chair. "When we have _so much_ to talk about."


	4. Chapter 4: Pleasure To Meet…Myself

Chapter 4: Pleasure To Meet…Myself

 **A/N: Sorry for the wait! This one got away from me a little bit… but it is a little longer though so I hope you like it!**

o00o

No one moved.

No one spoke.

Any and all words were caught in the throats of the group who'd just had their biggest worry confirmed- they were caught.

The entire room fell into an extremely tense, silent lull, eyes darting about as looks were exchanged. Surprised, afraid, smug, angry, you name it. No one knew what to say, and the young woman before them seemed content to just watch the group in their silent panic. That is, until-

"Whoa."

Eve turned towards the demon who'd let the word slip past his lips. He appeared to be engaged in a one-sided staring contest with her counterpart, mouth hanging open not-so-subtly. Eyes darting between them, she was easily able to put the pieces together.

The silence was broken a second time by the hard whack Eve delivered to Bill's arm, followed by her obviously-irritated tone of voice. "Are you kidding me?"

"What?" Bill asked innocently, frown pulling at his lips as he rubbed his arm gingerly if only for dramatic effect. She'd barely left a mark on him.

"Uh, hello!" Eve used her hands to wildly gesture to herself, as if to remind him that she was in fact still standing right there.

"Hey, technically it's still you! It doesn't count!" Bill argued, puffing out his chest.

Of _course_ that would be his logic.

Eve found she could only roll her eyes and look away from him, not wanting to get into it while they had a substantially bigger problem to worry about.

"Are you two quite finished?"

It was strange, hearing her voice come from someone else's mouth. Well, a person who still looked like her, but at the same time looked nothing like her. This Eve's eyes were dark and calculating, not to mention that her style was a little too risqué to belong to the shy girl from the opposite universe. Her top had laces up the front of it, for goodness sakes! And with those black high-heeled boots, she looked more like she was ready to go clubbing than anything else.

The…other Eve slowly swung her legs off the arm of the chair and settled for crossing them in front of her, turning around in her seat to face the group. Her eyes raked over them all, studying each of them one by one. It would be an understatement to say it was a little creepy.

"I was wondering when you were going to show up." She said, pointed gaze never leaving the group. "Can't say I was expecting you to make your arrival so…obvious."

"Hey, it's not like we used the front door or anything!" Mabel suddenly protested, tiny hands fisted on her hips. "I had to climb through a window. Do you know how hard that was to do without my grappling hook?"

"Mabel!" Dipper hissed under his breath, giving his sister a light shove. Somehow he figured it wouldn't be the wisest thing to make any of the counterparts angry.

"Awh, what a cute sibling dynamic these two have." Another female voice said, mocking tone easily identifiable. "It's sickening."

Two more figures stepped out from the shadows, coming to stand on either side of the large armchair. The boy was easily recognized as the other Dipper they'd met in the woods earlier, that same pretentious smirk plastered across his face. The other, a brown-haired girl who resembled Mabel, though her face held none of the sweetness nor innocence of the other.

Eve swallowed the dry lump in her throat, fixing her gaze on her own counterpart. Maybe if she tried to reason with her instead of demand the journal back, they could leave easily and without any problems.

That was the very last thing they needed, a stolen journal and angry versions of themselves out to get them.

"Look, we don't want any trouble," she started carefully, drawing the other's attention towards her. "All we want is our journal that your Dipper took."

"Journal?" The boy in question parroted, bringing his fingers up to hold his chin in exaggerated wonder. His mouth pressed into a thin line as if he was thinking hard, but the others could tell it wasn't genuine. "You know, I…I can't recall taking any journal. You must be mistaken."

A tiny snort escaped from the figure of Mabel's counterpart, to wit the other Eve fixed her with a light glare. The girl's grin immediately faded, leaving a mildly annoyed frown in its place.

Bill's eyes narrowed at the trio. "Don't play games. We know you have that journal, and we're leaving with it one way or another."

The other Eve's eyes flashed with something unrecognizable.

The twins seemed taken aback, more so Mabel than Dipper. A small smile began to crawl across Eve's face, and she eased back into her chair.

"I told you he was different." Dipper murmured, though it was still audible to the group's ears.

"Well. I must say this is a refreshing change in attitude."

Bill cocked an eyebrow and scoffed a bit. "Attitude?"

The other Eve rose from her perch then, causing the others to stiffen slightly. She sauntered up to them in a few purposeful strides, finally stopping just in front of Bill. Despite the fact he towered over her and she had to look up at him, her confidence never seemed to waver. He stared right down at her, expression stony as ever.

As Eve watched the strange situation play out, she couldn't help but wish she had some of her counterpart's bold personality. Some of Bill's looks could scare away other _demons_ let alone average humans, and here this other version of her was, getting right up in his face without a second thought.

"The golden question is…how did you end up on the wrong side?" She sent a glance over to Phoebe and the twins, before setting her eyes on Eve. "What's so special about you?"

Now under the scrutiny of her counterpart's gaze, Eve fisted her hands at her sides and tried not to fidget. She wanted to at least appear more confident than she was, though it was harder to do when the other brunette began to slowly walk around her like a shark circling its prey, taking in every one of her features.

"You're not exceptionally pretty. Or smart, judging by your lack of a better plan for taking back the journal."

"I thought you said you didn't have it!" Phoebe shot back, stepping up beside her sister. No way she was going to let her be talked to like that by some arrogant little-

"Mouthy as ever." The dark Eve laughed dryly, eying the girl. "I suppose some things don't change. Speaking of which, where is Phoebe?" She turned towards her Dipper and Mabel, only to be answered with two simultaneous shrugs.

"I'm right here." Came a new voice, and each head in the room turned to the doorway. "Look who I found in the cellar digging through some vials." Phoebe's counterpart gave a violent shove on another figure, this one tall and lanky. The force caused them to stumble forward into the room, and into the better view of everyone else.

Eve gasped.

Was that…Bill?

He looked so…different. Instead of his normally shiny golden hair, this version of him had hair that was a light shade of blue. The same went for his eyes- they were no longer the bright golden orbs she was used to, but were a deep sea blue. The way he stood with such an unsure presence, wringing his hands together nervously was so uncharacteristic to Bill. But, this was the world full of opposites after all.

Eve couldn't help but feel a little bad for him. He looked so nervous, like he was expecting something terrible to happen. But then again, if he was on their side, she forced herself to shove any sympathy to the back of her mind.

"William, how nice of you to join us." The other Eve said, false cheerfulness in her tone unsuccessfully coating another emotion, one that seemed to make this other version of Bill shrink back in fear. She left Eve's side, instead striding over to him. "Care to explain what you were doing with my vials?"

"I-I…I was…uh…I…" The other demon stuttered and tripped over his words, clearly avoiding her pointed gaze.

Her dark eyes narrowed. "I see. Well, as I'm in the middle of something, I'll just have to deal with you _later_." She bit out, but not before fixing him with a glare that promised trouble. The demon whimpered a little, a sound that had Eve nearly convinced this wasn't Bill at all.

Though an answer was put to her doubts when Mabel asked the question they were all silently wondering. "Bill…is that…you?"

Bill sighed. "Unfortunately, I think it is."

"Hah!" Dipper laughed suddenly, pointing toward the weak form of Bill's counterpart. "Who's the puppet now?"

" _Can it_ , Pine Tree." Bill growled, pulling the bill of Dipper's hat down over his eyes in irritation.

Phoebe lightly tapped Dipper on the arm as he adjusted his hat, shooting an annoyed frown the demon's way. Her attention was drawn to the slight marks she was able to visibly make out on the other demon. Those looked…kind of painful. "Dipper, this isn't funny. I…I think he's hurt."

She was right. Eve spotted them as well, the small but still noticeable marks on his arms, and a couple on his face. Who knew if there were more hidden under his clothing? Either way, Eve's sympathy and worry rushed right back to the front of her mind.

Were they hurting him?

If they were, why didn't he just _leave_?

Unless he couldn't.

Eve's counterpart briskly turned away from the demon she called William, lips curled in a snarl. "Now get out of my sight."

He complied immediately, blue flames consuming his body until he'd disappeared completely, the flames snuffing out after him.

Phoebe stepped forward the moment he was gone, worried frown etched into her features. "Why are you treating him like some kind of prisoner?"

"Because he _is_ our prisoner, silly girl." Mabel's counterpart responded, a small smirk playing on her lips. "He does whatever we tell him to."

Mabel's jaw dropped. "You can't do that! What about human- er, demon rights!"

Eve was genuinely shocked. For someone as powerful as Bill, or…William, in this case, to be imprisoned and controlled was just too hard to believe.

There must be another reason he can't get away. She thought.

She felt pretty foolish, just standing there with her mouth hanging open like a fish as she stared on at her counterpart. But what else could she do? There was nothing even Bill could do to since his powers were inactive in this land. Nothing anyone could do to get the journal back…or help William.

Although it didn't hurt to try.

They really should have come up with a better plan.

Steeling herself, Eve clenched her fists at her sides and narrowed her eyes at her counterpart. "Hey. You."

Turning her head, the other brunette noticed her challenging stance, and a small smirk crept across her face. She took a few tall strides towards her, the two never breaking their string of stimulating eye contact. Not even when the two were face-to-face, dark eyes studying bright gentle ones.

"Yes?" The other Eve hissed through her sinister smile.

Sucking in a shaky breath she hoped wasn't too obvious, Eve narrowed her eyes further. "Let. Him. Go."

Her heart began to sink as her counterpart actually started to laugh at her. It appeared her attempt at at least being a _little_ intimidating was a bust.

"You really are hopeless aren't you?" She said, letting out one final giggle before all traces of amusement on her face disappeared and were replaced by nothing but darkness. "But I'm afraid my answer is no. William is too useful for me to pass up. And unfortunately for you, so is your precious little journal. So, tell you what. _I'll_ be keeping _that_ , and you'll all get to leave with your lives. How does that sound?"

"No!" Dipper suddenly cried, taking a few steps forward despite Mabel clinging onto his arm in an attempt to stop him. "That's my journal and you can't have it! Now give it back! I…we'll fight you for it!"

"Dipper, you know clone fights always end up the same way." Phoebe reminded with a frown.

"She's right." Bill agreed, though he never took his weary eyes off the others. "No one wins because physical strength is the exact same between counterparts."

The other twins began to laugh. It wasn't childish or bubbly like Dipper and Mabel's contagious laugh was normally was. It was harsh and dark, full of a condescending nature that largely grated on everyone's nerves.

"You underestimate our abilities." Dipper's counterpart said, a few loose chuckles following afterwards. Turning to the girl on his left, he let a wide grin stretch across his face. "Show them, sister dearest."

"With pleasure." The other Mabel replied, matching her brother's grin with one of her own. Her eyes twinkled with excitement and mischief, and the others couldn't help but wonder what exactly the two of them were up to.

All of a sudden, a bright blue aura began to surround the group, and a few gasps were released as they were easily lifted into the air. Dipper squeaked and grabbed onto his sister, both for his own comfort and for fear of her drifting away to where he couldn't reach her.

Eve's heart hammered against her ribcage, but she marveled at the feeling of having the ground disappear from under her feet.

"How are you doing that?" Phoebe asked, struggling to maintain a straight position in the air as her body tilted sideways, nearly upside-down.

"Magic." Came the other Mabel's simple response as she wiggled her fingers dramatically.

"Wait a sec. Look, the headband!"

Eve followed Dipper's pointed index finger to said hair accessory on Mabel's counterpart's head, the bright teal gemstone there glowing brightly. It looked oddly familiar…

"The stone. It's the same as Pine Tree's cape." Bill noted, receiving a small scowl from the boy at being pointed out.

"And Phoebe's necklace!"

"…And Evie's ring?"

It was true. Each one of them had their own pendant, located in different places on them, all a light teal color.

"Good observation skills." The other Eve said snidely with a roll of her eyes. "But I'm afraid it's time for you to go now."

Before any of them could comprehend what was going on, too many things happened at once. The front door to the manor flew open, revealing the bright sunny sky of the outside world. They were soon met with fresh air as they flew out the doors and crashed onto the grass of the lawn.

Eve groaned and held her pounding head, looking up to catch one last glimpse of the fierce snarl on her counterpart's face.

"Don't bother coming back."

And then the door slammed closed.


End file.
